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Christian Tissier to Make a Demo at the Combat Games

Christian Tissier Shihan. Photo by Maria Polevaya.Christian Tissier is a French aikido instructor born in 1951. He took his first aikido class in 1962, which made him, barely 11 years old, one of the youngest practitioners in Europe. He soon became a student of Mutsuro Nakazono at his Paris dojo.

Christian Tissier was quickly recognized for his talent in aikido, which was confirmed when he received 2nd dan at the age of 17. In 1969 he realised his dream of going to Japan to practice aikido. Although he initially intended to stay for six months, he remained for seven years.

He practiced for all the masters, mainly Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu and Seigo Yamaguchi, the latter of whom came to regard him as a favorite student, Mitsugi Saotome and the revered Kisaburo Osawa, Technical Director of the Aikikai. He also practiced kenjutsu and even kickboxing for fun, just to add a "contact sport."

In 1976, when he was 4th dan, he decided to return to France. In Vincennes, near Paris, he opened the Cercle Christian Tissier, where many of today's French aikido teachers have practiced. For all these years, he has also held countless seminars around Europe as well as the rest of the world.

He has visited Russia regularly for aikido seminars since more than 20 years.

“The first time I went there, the level was quite low because aikido was very new to them,” Christian Tissier recalls. “But I immediately felt the potential of the students and how hungry they were to learn.”

The development of Russian aikido was speedy:

“Just a couple of years later it was completely different. What I had taught before was mastered. Now, the level is very high and it is always a great pleasure to go and meet all my Russian friends.”